Closure for bottles and jars

ABSTRACT

A closure for a container such as a glass jar provided with a tubular section for insertion into the neck of the container. The tubular section having a plurality of cantilevered fins for engaging the internal wall of the container. The fins each having a periphery that is generally elliptical in configuration.

United States Patent [19] Edwards [4 1 Dec. 17, 1974 CLOSURE FOR BOTTLESAND JARS [75] Inventor: Edward Edwards, Sylvania, Ohio [73] Assignee:Owens-Illinois, Inc., Toledo, Ohio [22] Filed; Jan. 8, 1973 [21] Appl.No.: 321,775

[52] U.S. Cl. 215/364, 2l5/DlG. 1,220/42 B [51] Int. Cl B65d 39/04 [58]Field of Search 215/48, 47, DlG. l;

220/42 B, 42 C, 42 D; 222/563 5 6] I References Cited UNITED STATESPATENTS 4/1866 Ramsay ..215/47 2/1959 Brune ..2l5/47 FOREIGN PATENTS ORAPPLICATIONS Great Britain 220/42 B 536,756 l2/l955 ltaly ..2l5/364729,291 5/1955 GreatBritain ..2l5/230 Primary Examine r- -Herbert F.Ross Attorney, Agent, or FirmDavid R. Birchall; E. J.

Holler ABSTRACT A closure for acontainer such as a glass jar provided-with a tubular section' for insertion into the neck of the container.The tubular section having a-plurality of cantilevered fins for engagingthe internal wall of the container. The fins each having a peripherythat is generally elliptical in configuration.

2 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures CLOSURE FOR BOTTLES AND JARS The inventionrelates to a closure for insertion into a container such as a bottle orjar. More specifically, the present invention relates to a closure thatcan be easily inserted into the mouth of a glass container and effect aseal therein.

An object of the invention is to provide a closure that will provide aneffective seal for a glass containerv even if the glass container is outof round in the finish area.

A further object of the invention is to provide a closure that can beinserted and removed from the container as required without affectingthe sealing characteristic thereof.

An additional object ofthe present invention is to provide a closurethat will readily accommodate itself to the optimum sealing positionwhen it is rotated with respect to the glass container during or afterinsertion therein.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a closure withexternally positioned sealing fins that will adapt themselves to the outof round internal configuration of the glass container in which theclosure is positioned.

The invention provides a closure for a container more than one fin isutilized they are in spaced apart relationship with respect to eachother. The periphery of the fin or fins is of a varying radial distancefrom the vertical axis of the closure. The eccentricity provided by thevarying diameter fins assures a seal between the closure and theinternal surface of the container which invariably will be other thancircular in configuration.

piece during use. Additionally, cork does not lend itself well to thestorage of food products because of its inherent porosity. The porosityis quite detrimental when the cork is immersed in cleaning fluids suchas water. Then too, the coefficient of 'friction between cork and glassis quite high, consequently, it is difficult to position the cork at theoptimum location within the mouth of the container.

To overcome the disadvantages of the heretofore commonly used cork,applicant has invented a new closure that not only replaces the cork,but,'also, provides a more compatible fit between the closure and themouth of the container. It is, of course, well known to providestoppers, particularly champagne corks, with a plurality of radiallyextending fins in order to enhance the sealing properties of the closureand the mating container.

During the manufacture of large glass containers such as cannisters, itis exceedingly difficult to maintain. a high degree of accuracy withrespect to the concentricity of the container, particularly, in theareaof the finish. While not too noticeable to theeye, the mouth sectionof the large glass, containers is out of round. Consequently, if a veryconcentric closure is placed withinan out of round glass container,there are several adverse conditions which can exist. First, if theglass container is out of round to any extent, the closure will not fitproperly, therefore, fine material such as flour can escape through theundesirable gaps or space between some portions of the container finishand the closure exterior wall. Second, a hazard exists when a closure isforced into athin wall glass container, particu larly when the closureis in some areas slightly oversized. An oversized closure can actuallycause a fracture of the glass container if it is forced into the mouthprotrude a greater radial extent in one direction than in a directionnormal thereto, the longer fin area will align itself with the greatestdiametrical expanse-within the finish area of the glass container.Consequently, a better seal will be achieved and the risk of fracturingthe glass container will be minimized.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be readilyunderstood from the following general and detailed description of thedrawings in which is illustrated a preferred embodiment of theinvention:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the exterior of the invention, 1 FIG. 2is a side view of the closure which shows the relationship of the finswith respect to the remainder of 'the closure,

FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the closure which shows the eccentricity ofthe fins,

FIG. 4 is a bottom view similar to FIG. 3 which shows I constant widthfins, and

FIG. 5 is a detailed section taken diametrically through the closure.

Referring to the drawings, an over-all view ofthe closure is shown at 10in FIG. L'The closure, generally indicatedby numeral 10 is preferablyformed of any suitable plastic material that lends itself well toinjection molding such as, for example, polyethylene. Because of a thematerial from which closure 10 is made, it is resilient enough toprovide an effective seal. The plastic material utilized to fabricatethe closure is readily maintainable in a sanitary-condition. A top orhandle section 11 is provided at the top half of closure 10. The handlesection is of greater diametrical extent than the top of the containerinto which the closure 10 is adapted to fit. Immediately beneath andattached to handle section 11 is cylindrical section 12 which is adaptedto be contained within the finish or mouth of the container. Locatedalong the axial extent of cylindrical section 12 are one or moreradially protruding fins 13. The fins 13 are positioned entirely aroundthe exterior of cylindrical section 12 and they are, also, in spacedrelationship one from the other when more than one fin is utilized.

When closure as shown in FIG. 1 is inserted into the mouth ofacontainer, the fins 13 will coact with the internal surface of thecontainer thus providing an effective seal to protect the contents thatare stored within the container from degradation or escaping therefrom.Fins 13 must be rigid enough to firmly grasp the interior sidewall ofthe container, yet they must be flexible enough so that they canwithstand repeated insertion'into and removal from the container.

Also, as shown in FIG. 1, the end portion of cylindrical section 12 mostremote from handle section 11 contains a pilot 14 which aids in theinitial positioning of the closure within the mouth of the container.The pilot 14 can be of varying length, however, its lowermost surface 15should not be too far removed from the most immediately adjacent finbecause surface 15 acts as a structural member with respect to forcesthat are compressive in nature and are applied in a radially inwarddirection in the area of the fins.

FIG. 2, which is a side view of the closure shows the overhanging ledge18 which coacts with the very top of the container to limit the extentthat the closure will travel into the mouth of the container. The handleor top section 11 can be tapered as shown at 19 if desired.

' ally extending flange section 29. Flange section 29 ter- FIG. 3 is abottom view of the closure shown in FlG.

2. Fins 13 are shown in their generally elliptical configuration. Notethat at 20 the dimension a is greater than the dimension b shown at 21.A typical set of dimensions which gives an indication of the magnitudeof the fins is as follows: The over-all diameter of cylindrical section12 is 2.062 inches while dimension .1 as shown at 20 is 0.338 inch andthe smaller fin dimension b as shown at 21 is 0.3]8 inch. Thus weobserve that there is 0.020inch difference in the diameters of the finsbetween where dimension a is shown and 90 thereto where dimension [2 isshown. It is this difference upon which the new and improved closure isbased.

FIG. 4 is a bottom view showing the lowermost surface 15 along with finsl3. Cylindrical section 12 is of generally elliptical configurationconsequently fins 13 can be of a constant dimension throughout allsections of the cantilevered distance 0.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view shown through onehalf of the container.The cross-sectional view depicts two pieces, an upper piece 22 and alower piece 25. The upper piece 22 of the closure'consistss of agenerally flat planar top portion 26 which in turn is connected to anannular flange arrangement which defines handle portion 11. The entireinterior of upper piece 22 is hollow and the interior wall of handleportion 11 contains a re-entrant portion 27 that is positioned mostadjacent to the free end of handle portion 11.

While closure 10 has been shown hollow throughout it is possible to fillall or nearly all of the interior with like or similar plastic materialeither cellular or solid in construction.

The lower section or piece of the closure 25 is of annular configurationand consists primarily of cylindrical section 12. Cylindrical section 12terminates at the lower end with pilot 14. The lower most extent ofpilot 14 consists of a generally flat planar section 15 which minateswith an upstanding locking ring 30. Locking ring 30 contains a latchmechanism 33 which is adapted to coact with re-entrant portion 27 ofupper piece 22.

One or more fins 13 are positioned along the axial ex-v considered byitself is an object closed at one end and open at the other,consequently, its manufacture is not a difficult problem. Subsequent tothe manufacture of upper piece 22 and lower piece 25, they can be fittedtogether with a minimum amount of effort. As previ ously pointed out,fins 13 are not of circular configuration around the peripheries butthey are of generally elliptical configuration. The configuration doesnot have to be a true ellipse since the primary object is to have thefins extend a greater radial extentalong one axis than along an axisnormal thereto. When a plurality of fins are utilized, all of the finshave their long axis aligned in one direction and their short axisaligned generally normal thereto.

Thus, it can be observed that the new closure de scribed herein canreadily be installed into the mouth or finish section ofa container bymerelyinserting pilot section 14 into the container and then pushinggently downward toward the container. As the closure is inserted intothe container, a slight torque or rotary motion will permit the closureand the eccentrically shaped fins to .find their optimum seatingposition within the container.

The snug fit thus attained between the closure and the containerprovides assurance that the product stored within the container will notflow outward through an opening or crack between the closure and theinside finish of the container. Also, because of the full contentbetween thefins and the inside of the container, the closure willmaintain a snug fit within the finish of the container even though thefinish vary somewhat in size and configuration as is inherent inproducts manufactured from a thermoplastic material such as glass.

What is claimed is:

1. A hollow two-piece closure manufactured from plastic material for usewith a wide mouth container comprising a handle portion havingagenerally-top planer surface and an annular grasping flange, acontainer insertion portion (12) of generally elliptical cross-sectionalconfiguration telescopically coupled to said handle portion (11) along alongitudinal axis, lockare of uniform thickness.

1. A hollow two-piece closure manufactured from plastic material for usewith a wide mouth container comprising a handle portion having agenerally top planer surface and an annular grasping flange, a containerinsertion portion (12) of generally elliptical cross-sectionalconfiguration telescopically coupled to said handle portion (11) along alongitudinal axis, locking means (27) (33) coupling said handle portionwith said insertion portion, a plurality of resilient spaced apartradial fins (13) arranged on said insertion portion normal to saidlongitudinal axis, said fins each completely encompassing said insertionportion and having a radial extent, at all locations, that isequidistant from said container insertion portion.
 2. A closure asclaimed in claim 1 wherein the fins are spaced an equal distance onefrom the other and are of uniform thickness.